An exciting brand of longball-smashing, gas-throwing stars are taking over baseball. Here are nine notable major leaguers who embody the game’s bold new generation and were selected to participate in this week’s All-Star Game. (All statistics are through July 8.)
Shohei Ohtani, Angels
Position: DH/RHP
Age: 26
Born: Oshu, Japan
Traditional Stats: .279 average (31st), .364 on-base percentage (35th), 32 homers (1st), 69 RBIs (3rd), 3.49 ERA (32nd)
Advanced Stats: 1.064 OPS (2nd), .700 slugging (1st), 3.7 WAR (7th), 1.209 WHIP (42nd)
Eye Test: The two-way phenom is doing things that haven’t been done since Babe Ruth. Except he’s way better than The Bambino as a pitcher. And, if Ohtani stays healthy, the rarity of what he’s accomplishing — all-fields, plus-power from the left side of the box and flame-throwing on the mound — might never be seen again. He is Major League Baseball’s preeminent appointment television.
Rise to stardom: Ohtani first rose to international fame in Nippon Professional Baseball, where his pro career culminated with the league’s MVP award in 2016. By the time he came to the majors ahead of the 2018 season, every team was salivating at a chance to sign him. He won Rookie of the Year but then had Tommy John surgery, so he didn’t pitch at all in 2019. His showing this year has underscored his rare potential.
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Position: SS
Age: 22
Born: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Traditional Stats: .297 average (17th), .378 on-base percentage (19th), 27 homers (3rd), 58 RBIs (10th)
Advanced Stats: 1.058 OPS (3rd), .680 slugging (2nd), 4.7 WAR (1st)
Eye Test: No player better epitomizes the flashy, bat-flipping young stars than Tatis, whose 14-year, $330 million deal with the Padres is evidence of the Hall of Fame expectations already placed on the third-year pro. His defense is incredible, his bat loaded with pop, and fans never have to wonder if the effervescent Tatis is having a blast playing the game.
Rise to stardom: The son of MLB journeyman Fernando Tatis, a stress reaction in Tatis Jr.’s back cost him most of the second half of his rookie season. Tatis bounced back with a strong condensed 2020 season and, despite a shoulder injury that hampered him early this year, continues to establish himself with elite fielding and long homers that appear effortless.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Position: 1B/DH
Age: 22
Born: Montreal, Canada
Traditional Stats: .341 average (1st), .439 on-base percentage (1st), 28 homers (2nd), 73 RBIs (1st)
Advanced Stats: 1.118 OPS (1st), .679 slugging (3rd), 4.4 WAR (2nd)
Eye Test: Guerrero is already on pace for a career similar to his Hall of Fame father. An aggressive hitter with plus-power, elite bat-to-ball skills and a veteran’s command of the zone, Guerrero’s swing/take rate is the best in baseball. He’s not a flashy defensive player, but his move to first base has proved to be a better fit to complement his disciplined approach at the plate.
Rise to stardom: Signed by Toronto at 16 out of the Dominican Republic, Guerrero cruised through the Blue Jays’ minor league system and was the No. 1-ranked MLB prospect heading into 2019. The hype has been extraordinary, especially after his Home Run Derby performance as a rookie, when he set records for most homers in a single round (40) and most homers in a single derby (91). So far, he’s living up to it the hype.
Josh Hader, Brewers
Position: LHP
Age: 27
Born: Millersville, Md.
Traditional Stats: 0.78 ERA (1st among relievers), 59 strikeouts (5th), 21 saves (3rd)
Advanced Stats: 0.72 WHIP (1st), 2.5 WAR (1st), 93.2 left-on-base percentage (3rd)
Eye Test: There have been few relievers in the game over the last four years who have been more consistently untouchable than the Brewers star. A 19th-round pick who turned into bullpen gold, Hader combines a high-90s heater with a devastating slider and effective change up. When he’s locked in, he’s capable of overpowering the best hitters in the game during crunch time.
Rise to stardom: Hader was solid as a rookie in 2017, posting a 2.08 ERA in 35 appearances in a season that foretold his current dominance. He finished seventh in the Cy Young voting the next year while also earning his first all-star nod. He’s kept up the momentum since then, ranking in the 93rd percentile or above in strikeout rate as well as hard-hit rate over the last couple of seasons.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
Position: OF
Age: 23
Born: La Guaira, Venezuela
Traditional Stats: .281 average (30th), .389 on-base percentage (10th), 24 homers (5th), 52 RBIs (29th)
Advanced Stats: .985 OPS (4th), .596 slugging (4th), 3.4 WAR (11th)
Eye Test: A five-tool threat who can steal at will and go on home run tears, Acuna appears to just now be scratching the surface of his potential — a scary thought for the rest of the league after what he did his first three seasons. His 2021 start had him on pace for a career-high offensive season, but he suffered a leg injury during a game Saturday in Miami. His status for the All-Star Game was unknown.
Rise to stardom: Signed as an international free agent by Atlanta for $100,000 in 2014, Acuna quickly blossomed into a star in the minor leagues and continued that trajectory in the bigs. He won NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 and then had a breakout season in 2019, falling just short of becoming the fifth member of the 40/40 club with 41 homers and 37 steals at age 21.
Tim Anderson, White Sox
Position: SS
Age: 28
Born: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Traditional Stats: .312 average (9th), .350 on-base percentage (48th), 6 homers (186th), 53 runs (23rd)
Advanced Stats: .779 OPS (69th), .429 slugging (78th), 2.2 WAR (46th)
Eye Test: Anderson brings plus speed to the shortstop position and a high-average offensive approach that’s going the way of the dinosaur in the age of Three True Outcomes. He doesn’t take many walks and he is often guilty of expanding the zone, but there are few better bat-to-ball hitters in MLB today. The bat-flipping Anderson is capable of sneaky power, too (see: a career-high 20 homers in 2018).
Rise to stardom: Picked at No. 17 overall out of East Central Community College (Decatur, Miss.) in 2013, Anderson debuted with 99 games in 2016, when he finished seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He turned a corner in the 2019 season, when he batted .335 to win the AL batting title, then won a Silver Slugger last year. He’s batting .330 over the last three seasons combined.
Juan Soto, Nationals
Position: LF
Age: 22
Born: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Traditional Stats: .282 average (28th), .401 on-base percentage (3rd), 11 homers (82nd), 42 RBIs (65th)
Advanced Stats: .853 OPS (32nd), .452 slugging (64th), 2.3 WAR (46th)
Eye Test: Already in his fourth big-league season, Soto is mature beyond his baseball years but could still add even more power to a sweet and smooth left-handed swing. His bat-flipping is already stuff of legend on Little League diamonds and he was a centerpiece of the Nationals’ unexpected World Series run in 2019.
Rise to stardom: Soto signed with the Nationals as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2015, and his rise to the big leagues was meteoric. He debuted in 2018 at 19, and quickly became the youngest player to homer in franchise history. Soto continued to improve in 2020 by slashing .351/.490/.695 with a 1.185 OPS.
Aaron Judge, Yankees
Position: RF
Age: 29
Born: Linden, Calif.
Traditional Stats: .284 average (23rd), .377 on-base percentage (20th), 20 homers (13th), 46 RBIs (51st)
Advanced Stats: .902 OPS (20th), .525 slugging (21st), 3.3 WAR (15th)
Eye Test: Built like The Terminator at 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, and capable of hitting towering moon shots, Judge is one of the most exciting power hitters in MLB. Injuries limited him the past couple of years but when he’s healthy, he’s capable of being the most dangerous power hitter in the league, as shown via his 52 homers as a rookie in 2017.
Rise to stardom: Judge’s first cup of coffee in the bigs was nothing to write home about, as he hit .179 in 27 games in 2016. But after exploding onto the national scene the next year, the two-time all-star has established himself as a force to be reckoned with — when healthy. He’s been just that this year while also evolving as a defender and taking on a role in center field.
Bo Bichette
Position: SS
Age: 23
Born: Orlando, Fla.
Traditional Stats: .295 average (19th), .345 on-base percentage (53rd), 16 homers (33rd), 57 RBIs (14th)
Advanced Stats: .833 OPS (40th), .488 slugging (35th), 3.2 WAR (15th)
Eye Test: The son of ex-Rockies slugger Dante Bichette, Bo, like fellow Blue Jays phenom Guerrero, has lived up to the hype early in his career. The first-time all-star combines a high-average approach with power and flash in the field. Bichette still has plenty of room to grow in all areas of his game, too, and early indications are he might be a better ballplayer than this pops.
Rise to stardom: Toronto selected Bichette in the second round in 2016 out of Lakewood High in Florida, and he make quick work of his climb up the minor-league ladder, starting with a .427 average in rookie ball. By the time he reached the upper minors he was nearly as acclaimed as Guerrero, and he’s proven to have staying power in the majors with a .301/.346/.517 slash line through parts of three seasons.
